


Mismatched Pairs

by purplesmiles



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anbu Uchiha Sasuke, Anxiety, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fuuinjutsu Master Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha trash cleaning, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Medic Haruno Sakura, Mental Health Issues, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Redemption, Slow Build, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Strong Female Characters, Team Bonding, Team as Family, Timeline What Timeline, Unreliable Narrator, Women Being Awesome, eventually, no aliens Madara was the end deal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:42:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26909836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplesmiles/pseuds/purplesmiles
Summary: Senju Kirari is leading a pretty normal life, as normal as a shinobi can have. She is a well accomplished Kunoichi, has reliable friends, is slowly healing from the loss of her most important people. She is fine, really, happy almost, until of course, she gets assigned to accompany Team 7 on a C-rank mission and her life takes a sharp turn.featuring; trauma and past ghosts haunting our favourite shinobi, Naruto and Sasuke getting the family they deserve, Sakura being the amazing kunoichi she was destined to be, healthy friendships and Konoha getting a well-earned trash cleaning.(cross posted on wattpad)
Relationships: Dai-nana-han | Team 7 & Hatake Kakashi, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto) & Original Female Character(s), Gekkou Hayate/Uzuki Yuugao, Haruno Sakura/Inuzuka Kiba, Hatake Kakashi/Original Female Character(s), Hyuuga Neji/Uzumaki Naruto (one sided), Namiashi Raidou/Shiranui Genma, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Sarutobi Asuma/Yuuhi Kurenai, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Shisui/Original Female Character(s) (one sided?), brief anko/oc
Comments: 21
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> slow updates, feedback is always appreciated <3

"Three incoming from the northwest, around two miles away, high chunin level," Kirari whispered sharply, her hand automatically reaching for her sword and pulling it out of its sheath in one swift movement. Three chunin were nothing threatening for her and her partner, but they could never be too cautious in their line of work. 

Beside her, Genma nodded, taking his fighting stance without wasting a breath, every movement calculated and quick. She gave him a small smirk that he returned, as they both headed for their pursuers, they hadn't encountered any threats on their journey back home yet. It was getting almost boring, so this seemed like a nice challenge. 

She easily fended off the nameless chunin from Iwagakure, not having to put in much effort as she jabbed a mild paralytic in his arm. Genma seemed to have no problem as well as he tied up the other two, now unconscious women, both from Iwa as well. Both of them preferred not to kill their opponents unless necessary, and these three looked to be some of those who wanted revenge on Konoha for their losses in the third war. If their enraged shouting and total lack of tact was anything to go by. 

They left them tied up and unconscious in their previously made makeshift camp and started on their journey home again, eager to be in the walls of Konoha once again, surrounded by the green trees and familiar faces. There really was nothing like home. 

\-----

It took them another three days to reach the front gates of their village, from what Kirari could make out, Izumo and Kotetsu got stuck with the guard duty again. Probably punished for something or the other. She snorted under her breath and Genma gave a small sigh of resignation. He was the biggest mother hen in the whole jonin pool. Izumo and Kotetsu were just a few of the chunin he had managed to adopt. 

"Aw, don't be sulky, let the kids have some fun," she said teasingly and ignored the glare he gave her. 

"They probably messed up the order of mission reports again, God knows the Sandaime should know by now that those two are not compatible with any sort of paperwork," he sighed again, shaking his head almost fondly. 

"Mhm, as their mom you should probably teach them about the downside of life as a shinobi which appears in the form of paperwork sometimes," she said sagely and dodged the well-aimed senbon she received for her comment. "Hey, that would've hurt!"

"You wouldn't be a very competent kunoichi if you couldn't dodge one flimsy weapon, would you?" he sassed back and she rolled her eyes, but remained quiet. They reached the gates soon enough. 

"Lieutenant Shirunai Genma, registration number 010203 reporting from S-rank mission," he said and she held up the mission scroll in her hand, "Lieutenant Senju Kirari, registration number 022012 reporting from the same," she added. They didn't go on this as an ANBU mission, so there was no reason for masks and anonymity. Izumo and Kotetsu were both professional enough to not start whining until they confirmed their identities but once that was out of the way Izumo all but threw himself at Genma. 

"Genma-san! I haven't seen you in months, _months_! I thought you died or something. Raidou-san wouldn't say anything either," he cried. 

"Well, you do realise S-rank missions are _classified_ right?" she asked with a small smirk and he sputtered in offence. Genma rolled his eyes but coaxed the other to let go of him. "Yes, yes, I missed you too. We need to hand in the report for the mission now, so please save you dramatics for later." he admonished and Kirari chuckled. As they walked towards the Hokage tower she could hear him complaining about 'not being dramatic at all'. 

It really was amazing to be back home. 

Both of them made way into the Hokage's office silently and bowed. 

"Ah, Genma-kun, Kirari-chan, you're both later than expected," he stated, letting out a puff of smoke from his pipe. "Yes, Hokage-sama, we ran into some skirmishes from Iwa on our way back," Kirari informed, it wasn't as if that wasn't true, but they'd taken care of them quickly. If Genma and her had spent a week or two enjoying the luxury of a nice hotel in Land of Grass, well, no one had to know. 

From the Hokage's amused look, he didn't really buy the excuse but didn't press either. "So I presume the mission went well?' he asked. 

"Hai, the target was easy enough to subdue, it took some time tailing her to get the information, but it wasn't very hard," Genma reported calmly. "And your concerns weren't unfounded Hokage-sama, she had help and information from inside the village. The sort of knowledge she had wasn't something available to genin or chunin. It appears we have a traitor amongst the higher ranks," Kirari added, her voice losing the casual tone. 

The Sandaime sighed, looking ten years older than a moment ago. It was hard to accept the thought of having traitors in a shinobi village, especially high ranking ones. The fact that jonin and ANBU worked more closely with the Hokage just added to the concern and hesitation. They didn't find many traitors in their ranks, most were caught and eliminated before they could harm the village, yet there has been someone who's been feeding information, _classified information_ , to their enemies for over six months and they only got to know about it now. It was unacceptable. 

"I thought so, you're dismissed, I will have someone look into the source of this problem immediately. Good luck on a well-completed mission, at least I know I can trust my favourite ANBU regardless of the situation," he said the last part with a small smile. 

"Ex-Anbu" Kirari corrected, even though everyone knew you never really stopped being an ANBU after resigning. 

"And you're not supposed to have favourites, Hokage-sama," Genma added, making all three of them chuckle. 

It was no secret that their team had been amongst the highest-ranking members of Anbu. After Genma, Kirari, Raidou, Hatake Kakashi and well, due to different circumstances but Uchiha Itachi as well, had left the Anbu forces, the Hokage hadn't been very pleased. The organisation's skill level had dropped significantly, though that may be due to the incompetence of new members. 

Kiari didn't know Hatake Kakashi or Uchiha Itachi personally, but Genma had liked them well enough. And it was no secret they were insanely talented. 

"Yes, yes." the Hokage waved off his words with a small sigh. "I expect both of you to get proper medical check-up immediately. The written report can be handed in this week anytime, No missions till you get clearance from the hospital," both Genma and Kirari winced at the last part. If there was something almost all Anbu and jonin hated, it was hospitals. After so much experience with death and killing, it was natural to be uncomfortable to have someone see all your wounds and look closely.

Also, the medic-nin in the hospital were fucking scary. 

"Sometimes your expressions make me feel as if I'm looking at the female version of Tobirama-sensei," The Hokage said with fondness in his voice. Kirari beamed at him, "Well, his kickass ninja skills aren't the only thing I inherited," she replied. And it was true, while she had the blondish white hair of her father, her red eyes and the facial structure was extremely similar to her grandfather. As well as her use of Suiton and sensory skills. Most people didn't take more than a few minutes to figure out her heritage. 

The Hokage laughed and dismissed them, both bowed and left the office, heading straight to the hospital to get the necessary check-up done with as soon as possible. 

\--- 

"A broken rib. How long ago did this even happen!? It would have started joining back abnormally if you hadn't gotten it checked right now!" a medic fussed as she lay on the hospital bed. She mostly had superficial injuries, she could heal almost everything herself after all, but the rib had left her mind some time ago. It had been a few weeks since that happened. Despite the fussing and fluttering around, the man did his job well enough and healed it efficiently. 

Genma and Kirari were both field medics. Genma was a certified medic who was capable of healing others during missions but Kirari was more inclined towards using extremely delicate chakra control to join limbs, flush out poisons and in very fortunate cases, regrow organs. She wasn't a medic cleared for performing surgeries or working at the hospital. She didn't have such sort of training, what she had was amazing chakra control and Senju Tsunade as an aunt. So of course, she could do some medical ninjutsu, even if it leaned towards the scientific end. 

A few more minutes of torture and she was cleared for missions, not that she planned on taking one right now. The last one had been months long and there was a mandatory break of seven days before she could take another A-rank or higher. And she really didn't want boring C-rank or B-rank missions right now. Maybe she could take some time off and go visit Tsunade-Obasan. It had been a while since she last saw her and she really loved the kickass kunoichi. She just had to follow the rumours of the large bets her aunt owed and she'd reach him. 

___________________

Kirari's luck was the absolute worse. 

What part of the 'I-don't-want-C-rank-missions' did the universe not understand?

And to get C-rank missions along with a genin team no less. 

With team Kakashi of all. She didn't even know the man! Sure, they might have worked on the same missions once or twice but that was back in Anbu, she hadn't even ever spoken to the guy. Plus the genin team had the Jinchuriki, the last Uchiha, and some pink-haired brat. Great. Just great. 

The Hokage had asked her to go as extra protection since there were rumours of problems near the border of the wave country. She knew he was just a little paranoid when it came to his honourary grandson. Kakashi wasn't considered to be the next Hokage candidate just because he looked pretty and was the student of the yondaime. Uzumaki Naruto huh? He was a nice boy. Kirari didn't know him personally but he had given many chunin and even some jonin a run for their money with his pranks. The boy had some skill. And he has just the perfect combination of his parents too. In looks and personality, though the latter seemed to lean towards his mother. 

And there was the Uchiha, it almost hurt to look at him, Kirari had been close to Uchiha Shisui, and his suicide had left an aching wound on her heart. After the massacre, she had all but disconnected from the situation, even though she knew there was once survivor, Uchiha Sasuke. She did feel guilty for never checking up on him, she owed it to his cousin at least.

But she couldn't face him without remembering his older cousin, her best friend. Shisui was her own personal failure. She had known him since they were genin and didn't even know he was feeling low enough to consider suicide. Later, there were speculations that Uchiha Itachi had killed him but she couldn't digest that either. Shisui _adored_ Itachi, and it was obvious for everyone to see that the sentiment was returned. How did she miss all those changes? How could she be such a bad friend? 

At least the last member of their team was a simple civilian born girl, easier to focus at without any past connections. She begrudgingly accepted the mission request and was informed to meet the team at the gates tomorrow morning at six am. 

She nodded and left for the jonin bar where she had planned to meet up with Yugao and Kurenai. 

_____________________

"Ah, team 7 huh? They're a good team, I think. Even though they are immature right now, they have great potential," Kurenai told her when she told them about her mission tomorrow. Her friend had her own genin team now. Ugh, so much effort. 

"And what about their sensei?" she asked as she downed another shot of sake, she was thankful for the hangover potions Shizune had taught her, without them the mission would have been even more annoying. 

"Mmm. He's a great shinobi, but he has his.... uh.... quirks," Kurenai replied and she snorted, that was just a polite way to point out 'crazy'. It wasn't like most jonin weren't crazy in some way or the other. Take Gai for example, the man wore green body-fitting spandex and spoke about youth every minute of the day. Kirari was weak to cute things, especially cute animals, which was harmless most of the time. Anko was, well, she was a little more of what would fit the general description of 'crazy'. So it wasn't really surprising that the Hatake would have a 'quirk' 

"Yeah? What is it?" 

"Ah, he likes to be late. Deliberately, makes every possible effort to be as late as possible to every meeting." Kirari grimaced, punctuality wasn't something she was set on, but she hated waiting for long periods of time. Made her feel on edge for some reason. 

"Great. Just great," she said and banged her head on the table, hearing two amused snorts. 

"C'mon, both of us have missions tomorrow, let's get you home," Yugao stood up and pulled her up as well, they waved their goodbyes to Kurenai and left the bar. "Don't worry, Kakashi-senpai is a good captain," she said once they were outside. 

"I'm not worried about that. It's just a C-rank anyway. I'm more worried about the headaches that come with dealing with genin and snobbish clients." she grinned, but it was a little weak, she really wanted to take a whole week off and relax, or travel. Now she was stuck on babysitting duty. 

"Details," Yugao dismissed. "Goodnight Kirari," she added and waved as they went their separate ways. She murmured similar greetings and walked towards home. She lived alone in one of the shinobi apartments, she didn't like staying at the Senju compound much. It was too big for one or two families, much less a single person to live in. She still visited regularly, made sure everything was clean and maintained, but didn't live there.

Her mother used to tell her that the houses used to be filled at one point, and their clan were all skilled in different arts. A clan of a thousand skills. It was a beautiful compound, surrounded by trees from all sides, the clan gates adorned with colourful flowers, but it was still empty. Where once hundreds of people lived, civilians and shinobi alike, there was only silence. Kirari couldn't bring herself to live in that silence anymore. 

She unlocked her apartment and made way inside. It was a fairly spacious place. Two bedrooms, one bath, a decent sized kitchen and eating place. A small balcony, that was overflowing with plants. It wasn't much, but it was home. She quickly packed some clothes, medicine and food pills for the mission tomorrow before sealing it into a scroll, and made way to her bed. She collapsed on the mattress with a content sigh, letting sleep overtake her quickly. 

_____________________


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!  
> I'll proofread this later, have a good day!

Kirari reported at the village gates on the exact time as defined by the mission parameters. When she arrived, their employer, plus Team Kakashi (baring one Hatake Kakashi) were already waiting for the rest of the team to come. She wrinkled her nose as she got close enough to make out distinct scents. The boy pre-teens were fine, but the bridge builder was reeking with leftover alcohol and don't even get her started on the kunoichi. God, the enemy could probably smell the distinct flowery smell and perfume from  _ miles. _

No way was this happening under her watch. 

"Good morning, I am Senju Kirari, I will be accompanying Team 7 on their mission today." she greeted as she reached them. 

"Senju.." the bridge builder whispered as he looked at her, she barely resisted rolling her eyes, she was used to such reactions.

"Hi! I'm Uzumaki Naruto," the blonde boy spoke, pointing a thumb to his chest, "This is Sasuke-teme and that is Sakura-chan!" he added pointing to the remaining shinobi and kunoichi respectively. "Kakashi-sensei will probably arrive in an hour or two though" he shrugged. 

The Uchiha was looking away as if not interested in the new addition to the group and Sakura looked as if she wanted to ask her a hundred questions. 

"I see. That actually works out well for us. Sakura, you're a civilian born right?" she didn't expect the other girl to bristle in response, Kirari frowned internally, did she say something wrong?

"Yes, but I graduated at the top Kunoichi of the year," her tone was weirdly defensive and Kirari took a moment to realise that the girl must have suffered discrimination from clan children before. Ah, that makes more sense. 

"That's great, come with me for a moment, we need to talk," she said awkwardly and lead the younger girl a few meters away from the others. 

"I know that these things are not taught at the academy, but there are a few things that every Ninja should know," she began, "First, we use scentless shampoo and soap before missions, I could smell your perfume from half a mile away, that paints a target on your back," the other girl's eyes widened dramatically and Kirari sighed in relief, good, at least she was competent enough to realise. "Secondly, your clothes. They are flimsy and will restrict your movement. You should probably look to change them after this mission. And lastly, your hair, its medium length and you leave it open, it's awfully easy to grab a hold of it and take you hostage, so either tie it up or cut it off," she finished. 

"But your hair is longer than mine and it's open!" 

"Sweetheart, no one has been able to use my hair against me in a battle ever since I started leaving it free. When you're strong enough, you do whatever you want with it. For now, keep it out of reach,"

"B-but why didn't they teach us this in the academy?! How should I know this?" there was real distress in the girl's voice this time and Kirari gave her a small smile. 

"They don't teach you these things as most children are taught all this at home before they enter the academy or become genin. If for some reason, they are not aware of it, they learn this after their first 2-3 out of the village missions, you would have too... eventually," she shrugged, "It's not your fault, I'm simply telling you because I noticed." she rummaged through her sealed supplies and took out a small one-time-use bottle of her bathroom supplies. "Here, your sensei is probably going to be late so you have enough time to go and shower. Don't worry, even if he arrives we'll wait for you," she explained and the girl nodded. 

"Thank you, Kirari-sensei!" she flinched at the way of addressing. "Just.. just senpai is okay, Sakura," she pink-haired girl nodded and disappeared. 

Huh. She'd like to think she did a pretty good job considering this was the first time she's spoken to a genin kunoichi. Self pat, Kirari. 

When the other boys saw her coming back without Sakura, Naruto pointed a finger at her and yelled, "WHERE IS SAKURA-CHAN?!" 

"STOP SHOUTING! YOU'RE MAKING MY EARS HURT" she yelled back.

He looked at her for a long moment. "Huh.."

"Anyway, your teammate had some things to do so she's gone back home, she'll be here shortly," she answered.

"Hn, she better not be late," the Uchiha said and Kirari recalled how Shisui used to use  _ 'hn'  _ in almost every sentence, she looked at him for a moment before walking up the gate. 

"Stop doing that!" the Uchiha said sharply and she turned to look at him, he had a glint in his eye, the first step towards an anxiety attack. "Doing what?" she asked calmly. 

"Looking at me like I'm going to snap and kill all of you, I won't! I'm not  **_ him _ ** !" he was near hyperventilating now and Kirari leaned in front of him and held a single finger in front of his eyes. "Look at my finger Sasuke, you're in Konohagakure, at the village gates, with your team, departing for a mission, are you with me?" she asked gently and he took a few harsh breaths before calming down. His posture was extremely rigid as he nodded. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I just... I knew your brother, you remind me of him," 

"I SAID I"M NOT HIM-"

"Not him, Shisui." she corrected, "Uchiha Shisui, he- he was my best friend," she sighed, once she saw he was calm again she continued, "My parents passed away when I was a child, I saw them die, he used to bring me back to focus when I was having an anxiety attack by making me look at his finger," she kept talking, watching as he boy's shoulders relaxed and his weariness went away. 

"I wasn't having an anxiety attack.." he mumbled and Kirari rolled her eyes, "I think you'd be crazy not to get anxiety attacks after what happened Sasuke. I know that I've never approached you before, I'm sorry... I really am, if you ever want to hear about Shisui and mine super cool missions don't hesitate to ask me!" she finished lightly.

"You're not allowed to share mission reports, I  _ know _ that," 

"Ah Sasuke-chan, you truly wound me, I would never even  _ dream  _ of telling you classified information," she grinned when he rolled his eyes, ruffling his hair briefly. He tried swatting her hand away and she stood up, Naruto seemed really confused about his friend's outburst but remained quiet for once. They spent some time in silence their third teammate joined them once again. 

"Sorry guys, I took some time!" Sakura panted as she ran towards them, Kirari looked her over once and nodded, much more acceptable, this way she had better chances of survival in dangerous missions.

"Woah! Sakura-chan, you look really pretty?" Naruto exclaimed when he saw her. 

"R-really? Thanks.." the young kunoichi replied hesitantly and her eyes briefly flickered to the Uchiha who didn't seem to give her any attention. She looked a bit disappointed but shook her head and focused on checking her supplies once more. 

"Where is your damn sensei?"

"Dunno, he'll probably come in an hour or two, it's normal by this point." Naruto shrugged. 

"Well, it shouldn't be. Tazuna-san, wouldn't you prefer starting our journey as quickly as possible so we cover more area before the sunset?" she directed the second part towards the bridge builder who simply nodded and made a 'so-so' gesture with his hand. That was good enough for her. 

"Alright, since our allotted time of departure was  _ hours _ ago and our client insists we leave immediately, we have no choice but to leave your Jonin sensei behind." she said shaking her head solemnly, "Truly sad, but mission comes first." 

"Woah, so we're gonna leave without sensei?" Naruto asked, smiling in excitement. 

"Yeah."

"But what if he appears once we leave? He'll not know where we are?" Sakura asked, eyes wide with apprehension. Kirari smiled at her, "Sensible question, though you don't need to worry about that, your sensei is Hatake Kakashi, he's one of the best scent trackers of Konoha, I'm sure he'd be able to recognise his student's scents from this distance. As an extra measure, I'm leaving a note with the guards. So nothing to worry about." she answered, taking some paper and ink from one of her sealed scrolls and quickly scribbled,  _ 'The client wanted to leave ASAP. We have left the village at 0800hrs, catch up quickly or stop being late. -Senju Kirari'  _

"I wish we could do this every mission, he's useless even when he accompanies us anyway," Sasuke grumbled, crossing his hands in front of him. 

"YEAH! We have to paint all fences and pluck all leaves and he just reads porn all DAY!" Naruto added enthusiastically. 

Kirari did not know what to make of the 'reading porn' part. Really? In front of children. 

"Don't ever leave the village borders without permission from concerned authorities and the presence of a team or Jonin, depending on the mission. If you leave without notice, you'll be marked as nuke-nin. That's not a life one would want, honestly." she said, leaving the note with whatever chunin was stationed at the gate with the instructions to give it to the silver-haired Jonin. 

"Kirari-senpai?" Sakura asked as they walked down the forests, the woods providing them with natural shelter and protection while Naruto and Tazuna walked in front of their client who was in the middle. 

"Hm?" she hummed, looking at the young kunoichi. "You're a Senju, right? Same as Tsunade-sama," she asked, eyes light with curiousness.

"Yes, she's my aunt."

"Wow! I think I want to be a medic like her in the future, are you a medic too?" She asked, her eyes shone so bright Kirari jokingly wondered if it could be classified as a new dojutsu. 

"No, I know the basics of medical ninjutsu, but I am a combat-based Jonin. My chakra control isn't as good as hers, not even close actually. Tsunade-obasan has dense chakra due to Uzumaki blood but despite that her control is perfect. The more chakra you have, the harder chakra control is." she explained. 

"Oh, I had the highest chakra control scores in the academy, so I think I could do it."

"I bet you could, you should ask your sensei to get some books to start in theoretical knowledge as soon as possible. Learning huge amounts or texts about diseases, injuries and human biology is a big part of becoming a med nin." Kirari was never the smartest with mugging up and was more than happy with above-average marks in written exams, so she never thought of pursuing a career as a medic ninja. 

"Yes, I will! Thank you." Sakura grinned and Kirari smiled back.

They spent the next hour traversing through the Hashirama trees, leaving which was like leaving home. No matter how many times Kirari left the forests, each time it was equally hard to leave behind the feeling of comfort and home. She never met her granduncle, but the chakra infused trees  _ felt _ like him. Her aunt used to get the same feeling before she left the village. 

"Okay, now we're exiting the fire country soon, which means you need to be on alert. We shouldn't encounter anything more serious than bandits, but you can never be overprepared. Everyone keep your weapons in hands reach and senses aware. Clear?" she got three nods and hummed in satisfaction. She absently wondered whether Hatake had left the village by now or not? 

______________

Kakashi arrived at the village gates at around ten am, Not spotting his three baby genin or the client immediately, he raised an eyebrow and tried catching their scents. They might be hiding in the bushes or somewhere near to think if they could prank him for being late. 

After a few minutes of searching though, he was starting to get a bit worried, there was no sign of them anywhere nearby. He actually considered going to their houses or the Hokage tower before he caught the looks of the chunin on gate duty. They seemed to be barely suppressing laughter. 

"Ah, did you happen to see my genin? We were supposed to meet here for a mission," he asked with a wave, one eye curling up in a smile. 

"Y-yes, Hatake-san, they departed a few hours ago. Here's a note they left." Departed without him? They couldn't seriously think about leaving the village without him right? He was about to question the chunin for letting unsupervised genin leave the village before he caught a glance at the hastily written note. 

_ The client wanted to leave ASAP. We have left the village at 0800hrs, catch up quickly or stop being late. -Senju Kirari'  _

What.

Oh.

He forgot they were being accompanied by another Jonin. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not me actually updating 😳  
> please share your thoughts and leave kudos if you liked it <3


	3. Chapter 3

Upon getting the news that his genin have left the village with a  _ stranger _ , he only manages a dismissing nod towards the Chunin at the gate before he leaves the gates. There's no need to summon Pakkun just yet, he has scent trails for all three children. He starts to look for Sakura's overbearing flowery scent first, but it disappears just around the gates. That's weird. Finding Sasuke's and Naruto's is easy, and he follows the direction it leads too. If they left at eight then they must have covered quite a bit of distance by now. He sure did take it easy today and showed up at noon. 

Cursing himself for forgetting about the extra addition to their team for this mission once again, he leapt forward from branch to branch. It was only a C-rank mission. Nothing would most likely happen. But they were without him. For their first mission outside the village. He couldn't help but be paranoid. What if Sasuke and Naruto clashed and Sakura was stuck acting mediator? What if someone saw the falling dynamic and attempted to attack them? 

Logically he knew that Senju Kirari was a very competent ninja, one of ANBU's finest. But he'd never really interacted with her and didn't ever see her smile or joke. Sure, he knew from Genma that she wasn't always like that, but he'd only seen her during joint missions. What if she prioritised the mission over his students lives? What if they didn't make it? Kakashi's mind was a very dark place. 

He could only imagine how his team would be having the  _ worst possible time _ right now. 

_________

"And then, he said, 'No Naruto, you're too great for a D-rank so I'll give you the most important C-rank ever dattebayo!'" Naruto finished his tale and with the best old man tone he could mimic and Kirari snickered at the thought of the Hokage talking that way. 

"Pretty sure he said 'Since this brat won't shut up I'll give him something to get out of my hair!'" Sakura retorted and Naruto stuttered to reply and made a sound of offence. She's pretty sure she saw Sasuke smirk. 

"Does this look like the 'most important client' to you dobe?" he scoffed and this time both Tazuna and Naruto made a sound of offence. 

Kirari could only smile at the cute antics of the children. How wonderful was it to be a genin and clash at your team at every turn. She remembered the times when she, Shisui and Takato would fight for the tiniest reasons. She hadn't allowed herself to think of them in a very long time. They'd promised to be friends forever. Well, Kirari had a bit of a puppy crush on Takato during their early genin days but that had faded soon after they actually got to know each other. And then Takoto died. Shisui let him die. Now she knows that there wasn't really a chance for Shisui to try and save him anyway, they'd both have died that way. But twelve-year-old Kirari wasn't this mature. 

Shisui and her eventually grew distant, both grieving and coping in their own way. Their genin sensei, Yamanaka Inoichi, didn't really have the time to be with them at every moment. The war had just ended and it left the T&I working twenty hours a day. He still tried, which is probably why she still spoke to Shisui at all. Years later they'd reconnected. Coming out clean with apologies and their feelings. They'd only just started to regain what they had before he got dragged into clan politics and then died. 

Once more she was left with an aching heart, it was Takato all over again. This time she had other good friends, Genma and Kurenai. They'd pulled her back up again. And she stored all these events in one corner of her mind and delved into work. She was a shinobi. They didn't let emotions rule them. 

"Senpai?" she heard Sakura's voice and snapped out of her thoughts. Sasuke and Naruto seemed to be arguing still and the younger Kunoichi and came to walk beside her. 

"Yeah? Sorry I spaced out," she answered and the girl nodded, "Just wondering where Kakashi-sensei is," she replied. 

"Don't worry. He'll be with us in a few minutes if we maintain this pace," she answered, which earned her the attention of all three genin. She might be lost in her mind, but she was on a mission. Hatake was masking his chakra, but not to the point where it was not spottable. She'd sensed him as soon as he came in her range. 

"How do you know?" Sasuke questioned, a frown ever-present on his face. 

"I'm a sensor," she replied. 

"Sensor?" 

"Naruto-baka! A person who is sensitive to chakra by birth or through practice is called a sensor-nin. They can tell people from their chakra and spot their locations. Senju Tobirama could even tell the different emotions a person was feeling from their signature and make out if they are lying or not," Sakura went on to explain. Yep. She'd excel in the medical arts with that chakra control and the power to remember and theorise. 

"WOAH! HOW DO I BECOME ONE?" he yelled excitedly and Sasuke tch'd but was looking at her as well. 

"You need to train really hard for it. I am able to do so because of my genetics  _ and _ training. You don't have the former to fall back on, ask your sensei to teach you." she said, though it wasn't entirely true. Mito-obaachan was able to utilize Kyuubi chakra to tell apart negative emotions but he couldn't do it because of how tight the seal was right now. No point in telling him. 

"He is useless, he didn't tell Sakura about using scentless products. He doesn't teach us any jutsu. We don't train." the Uchiha remarked angrily. Kirari didn't respond. She grew up during a war, even though she wasn't sent to the frontlines, their training regime was very different from now. Still, she did know that Hatake Kakashi was one of the best ANBU instructors, so they'd be fine. Hopefully. It didn't seem so yet but... It wasn't really her place to question his methods. 

They walked in silence for a few more minutes before Kirari abruptly stopped. Because she just sensed something. She'd let her plane expand as much as she could and Kakashi was very near to them. But that wasn't what stopped her. From the direction of Kusagakure, she could feel two  _ very _ distinctive chakra signatures. 

Uzumaki Admantine Chakra. 

She hadn't felt this since... since Kushina-san died. It wasn't her, but it was a woman of similar age and a child, probably a girl. Their chakra was a vast ocean compared to the others that dulled out. 

"Kirari-senpai?" Sakura questioned in confusion, all the others had stopped by now. 

"Children, Tazuna-san, we're going to take a break here. Hatake-san will be here soon and I need to leave. There's something else that's come up." she explained, unsealing a simple scroll and bottle of ink from her pouch. She sat down to write a letter to the Hokage explaining him of the situation. 

"W-what? But this is- you won't be escorting me home?" Tazuna questioned, looking nervous for some reason. Kirari stopped for a moment to analyze him, his emotions were all over the place. "This is a C-rank. Hatake-san is a very capable jonin. He's well equipped to handle bandits and the sort." she answered and the old man could only nod. 

"Ah, I've finally caught up to my cute-"

"Hatake-san" she interrupted, not in the mood for this right now, "I sensed two Admantine chakras near Kusagakure," she said sharply and the silver-haired man lost his casual stance and straightened up. "I'm breaking off here to confront them, can you continue on your own?" she asked though it was most theoretic. He nodded once and she bit her thumb, summoning her fastest eagle. "Kiwa, no time to discuss right now, get this envelope to Hokage-sama as soon as you can," she said and the young ave gave her a look but nodded. "Take care, Kira-chan. I'll be quick," he replied and flew off. 

Kirari could see the awestruck expressions on the three genin's face and gave a small smile. Her summon really was the prettiest. In her eyes at least. 

"You're leaving?" Surprisingly, it was Sasuke who asked first. She sighed but nodded, eyes flickering over to Naruto for a moment. Uzumaki. If she was right, and they wanted to come back to Konoha, he would be able to meet the last of his clan. She had already explained everything she knew at the moment to the Hokage via the letter. 

"Yes, unfortunately, something major has come up. I can't delay it. Be good, all of you," she said, ruffling Sakura's hair. The young girl smiled and nodded. "What did we learn today?" she asked, a poor imitation of Yamanaka Inoichi's end of the day recap technique. 

"We should only use standard black ink on missions because it can't be traced back to any particular village," Sakura replied, always the most diligent. 

"People who break formations on C-rank can't become the Hokage and ramen cups can be used as plant pots," Kirari had to smile at the latter, it was such a Naruto thing to note. 

"....." 

She sighed again, "It's okay guys, since your teammate is a little slow you guys have to make up for it. But don't worry, he'll be useful for other stuff, like making tents and food," she said solemnly. The Uchiha bristled like a cat thrown in cold water. Before he could open his mouth to argue, he too was given a head pat. 

"I'll be going now, Hatake-san, there are two Chunin-level Shinobi a few miles ahead. Probably not a concern to our team but look out," she said and the man nodded in understanding. Not wasting any more time, she charged full speed towards the outskirts of Kusagakure. 

A minute passed before Kakashi returned to the 'casual' facade he maintained in front of the kids, "Yo-" and he was interrupted the second time since he'd arrived, this time by Sasuke. "Actually, I did learn something from today,"

Kakashi nodded, encouraging him to go on, 

"The fact that you really  _ are _ useless." 

____________

Katsue Uzumaki was a middle-aged woman with one daughter who was the sunshine in her otherwise cold life. The only thing that kept her moving. She was still alive, still using her body to heal these,  _ these disgraceful shinobi _ , because it meant Karin had a warm bed to sleep in and food to keep her full. 

She lived with her daughter in a small hut on the edge of Kusa's forest, because outsiders don't live in the village and should be thankful for what they get. 

She 'worked' fourteen hours a day at the village hospital, and it usually left her too tired to even walk. She did it so Karin would be safe at home. Because Karin was still a child, with no bitemark on her pale skin, she was just a little girl. But the village leader had already ordered that she would go for the chunin exams in Konoha, to heal her teammates in case they need it. Katsue protested, but it was either that or a two-hour shift at the hospital every day. 

She didn't really have any hope for herself left. The once-proud seal mistress and doctor of Uzu was just a chakra battery here. What she could hope for was a better life for her daughter. 

She was lying down on the bed, a rare day where she had to work during the night and therefore that the day free, when Karin entered with someone else with her. It wasn't unusual, people came to check up on them regularly, they couldn't lose their most convenient healers after all. 

But this time Karin was smiling when she entered. Katsue sat up with some difficulty to have a better grasp at the new lady in the room.

"Are you Katsue-san? Katsue Uzumaki?" the blonde woman questioned, her chakra barely noticeable even to a skilled sensor like herself. She slowly nodded. 

"My name is Senju Kirari," she started, which made her gasp involuntarily, "I noticed two adamantine chakras while on a mission. According to the motion passed by the Sandaime after the fall of Uzushio, all Uzumaki's and the island's inhabitants are welcome to live in Konoha, as their sister village we'd be most happy to have you with us," she said in a professional tone before her posture relaxed a little and she patted Karin's head who was beaming at her mother. "And, from what little Karin told me, this place isn't treating you very well is it?" 

Katsue could almost cry in relief when she processed the information. Karin, even at her young age, was a far better sensor than herself, if she couldn't detect any lie or malice in this woman's chakra, then it had to be true.  _ She hoped it was true.  _

"Can we talk some more before agreeing to anything?" she asked and the other Kunoichi nodded. Even if she was from Konoha, Katsue wouldn't let her and her daughter enter an unfamiliar place without the proper information. 

___________

Two Uzumaki. 

Two Uzumaki who were still alive.

Alive and would potentially join the village. 

Hiruzen went over the letter once more before closing and burning it. Kirari's eagle was waiting for a response on the window. He had waited for years with open gates for any Uzumaki to appear, to join the village. After Kushina's death, he had sent out teams once more, so that Naruto could have some family, someone to look after him without causing a political nightmare. And now they found some. 

It would probably mean that Naruto would be informed of his parentage a little earlier, but he was going to do so anyway after the Chunin exams. If the boy did participate and clear the first two rounds of the exam. For him, and the village as a whole, a new clan would mean a major advantage. Hate as he may to admit it, but the two strangers would have to wait for a certain period before being allowed near him. Naruto  _ was _ Konoha's jinchuriki. But from what he knew of the Uzumaki, they wouldn't hurt their own. 

Sending a sealed letter with the summon, he leaned back on his chair to prepare himself for the council meeting he'd have to propose later today. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can anyone guess where i got the name 'takato' from? i mean it's a common name but 👀  
> anyway, i wanted to include a few more scenes in this chapter but my mom is being really annoying and wants to take away my laptop for the night so :,)  
> it's 1am here and we probably have school tomorrow even tho it's saturday???? i hate it here.   
> back to the story, there's going to be a lot of canon divergance and characters may be a bit ooc but im trying. 
> 
> I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and stays safe. aot ep 7 this sunday IM EXCITED. ok now im going byebye hope you liked this :)

**Author's Note:**

> share your thoughts in the comments :)
> 
> my Instagram: [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/itxxchi/) if you guys wanna follow or chat ;)


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